Francesco Guidotti: “It’s no coincidence” that Trackhouse has Italian team managers

Following Davide Brivio, Francesco Guidotti is now the second Trackhouse team manager from Italy – for him, it also marks a return to where he first made his mark

Trackhouse has quickly found a replacement for the team manager role. When it became clear a few months ago that Davide Brivio would be leaving the US racing team at the end of the 2026 MotoGP season to join Honda, Trackhouse team owner Justin Marks did not hesitate for long.

Marks quickly reached an agreement with Francesco Guidotti. The Italian had been team manager at KTM until two years ago, when he parted ways with the Austrian manufacturer following a reorganisation. Guidotti has now been on board at Trackhouse for four months.

However, according to Guidotti, the fact that Justin Marks has once again opted for an Italian as team manager for his MotoGP team – which works very closely with Aprilia – following Davide Brivio’s departure was not the main reason for his own appointment.

” “The fact that Davide is Italian and I’m Italian too is a coincidence. I don’t think he was really looking for that,” “I think he was simply looking for someone he could bring in ‘plug-and-play’, so to speak. I was available. In fact, I’d just been waiting for the right moment to come back.”

By this, Guidotti is referring, on the one hand, to his return to the MotoGP paddock. And given the way this return has come about, for him it is also a return to where he first made his mark. “I spent the first phase of my professional career, from 1990 to 2005, at Aprilia. And I still have good connections from that time. That was certainly an important factor that made the decision easy for me,” he says.

Joining Trackhouse means a return to Aprilia

When asked what Guidotti did back then at the start of his career at Aprilia, he lists: “Everything. I was always in the racing department. I started as a technical assistant and then, naturally, became a mechanic. Back then, in the 125cc and 250cc classes, you could run a factory team with four or five people.”

“In 2003 and 2004,” Guidotti continues, “I was part of the MotoGP programme and later, in 2010 and 2011, with Max Biaggi in the World Superbike Championship. So I know Aprilia as my first employer. And they remained my employer for many years. When I left, I left behind many friends whom I have now reconnected with. I know the people and I know how they work”.

The year 2003, to which Guidotti referred, marked Aprilia’s first foray into the premier class of the World Motorcycle Championship. Following Regis Laconi in the 2002 season, the RS Cube was ridden by Colin Edwards and Noriyuki Haga in the 2003 season, and then by Jeremy McWilliams in 2004. At that time, Aprilia had not yet managed to finish in the top five of a race.

Things proved similarly difficult when Aprilia teamed up with the Gresini team for the 2015 season to make a second attempt at MotoGP. Aprilia celebrated its first podium finish in the premier class as late as the 2021 season, with Aleix Espargaró at Silverstone.

Trackhouse aims to bring a breath of fresh air to the paddock

Aprilia has only started securing race wins since returning as a full-fledged works team. This has been the case since 2022. And now, a further four years on, they are a serious title contender. It was precisely during this phase of emerging major successes that the collaboration with Trackhouse began in 2024. Justin Marks’ US-based team is actually best known from motor racing, specifically NASCAR.

Thanks not least to Aprilia, Trackhouse – a complete newcomer to motorbike racing – secured its first victory in just its second year, when Raul Fernandez won the Australian Grand Prix at Phillip Island in October 2025. In the current 2026 season, the team has already claimed victory on several occasions. What is Guidotti’s view on Justin Marks’ vision?

“Well, at the moment I’d say it’s quite normal. But the aim is, of course, to do something different, something new,” says Guidotti. “Justin explained to me how they’ve come a long way in NASCAR in four or five years. He has a vision all of his own. That’s why I’m confident that something will happen soon. I’m very happy to have joined this team.”

“It’s a team with a vision. You can just sense that they want to do something new, whilst of course maintaining the level of performance and respecting the rules. But yes, they want to bring a breath of fresh air to this paddock,” says the new Trackhouse team manager.

1936 is a new shareholder in the Trackhouse MotoGP team

A first step in this direction was announced this week. The London-based sports and entertainment investment firm 1936 has become a shareholder in the Trackhouse MotoGP team.

Together, Trackhouse and 1936 aim to “make significant investments in the team’s growth and success, both on the track and commercially”, as stated in the relevant Trackhouse press release.

“ “Justin has built a team and a brand that stands out from the rest with real ambition,” says Charlie Raposo, founder and managing director at 1936. “We are proud to accompany him on his journey to build the most successful MotoGP team both on and off the track. We look forward to working with the team to develop the most exciting franchise in the sport.”

Justin Marks himself describes 1936’s investment – the financial details of which have not been disclosed – as “an exciting moment for the Trackhouse MotoGP team. The team now has numerous opportunities to make significant investments in racing, the brand, storytelling and the Trackhouse experience, together with a group of diverse and talented partners”.